Leo DiCaprio Helps ‘Oz’ Ruby Slippers Find Home

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Leo DiCaprio Helps ‘Oz’ Ruby Slippers Find Home

By Breeanna Hare, CNN

(CNN) — Leonardo DiCaprio is known to use his wealth to help save the environment, but the actor has also used it to help conserve a piece of Hollywood history.

Thanks to DiCaprio leading a group of “angel donors,” the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures has acquired a pair of ruby slippers from “The Wizard of Oz.”

According to a statement from the Academy, DiCaprio’s generosity to the Academy Foundation, along with gifts from other Hollywood A-listers like Steven Spielberg, helped the Academy to purchase the iconic footwear.

The pair of “Oz” ruby slippers acquired by the Academy is one of four pairs known to exist, the organization says.

The set DiCaprio helped purchase are called the “Witch’s Shoes,” because they were likely seen on the Wicked Witch of the East when Dorothy’s house fell on her in the film. They’re also likely the pair Dorothy, as played by Judy Garland, had on in close-ups, such as in the memorable scene when she clicks the heels of the red shoes three times to head home.

A costumer had kept this pair of slippers from the “Oz” set as part of his private collection before selling them at an auction in 1981. They were then sold again to another collector in 1988, before finally landing with the Academy this year.